Wasting Away

When an injured knee forced me to slow down recently, a lot of things became so much clearer. I could, when I had to the time to sit and think about it, see just how many resources I fritter away in my frantic dash from one activity/meeting/luncheon/conference to another. Haste, I discovered, does indeed make waste. Time There is an old saying: If you want something done, ask a busy person. I get the intent, but perhaps there is a down side to being so busy. I’ve decided that the faster I move, the less I seem to get done. For every false start out the front door there are so many turn arounds. Did I lock the door? Do I have my phone? Have I forgotten (again) the list that is supposed to help me be more effective? Rushing to do what needs to be done often means doing something twice. No time savings there. Money Ah. This is a big one. A schedule that is too full doesn’t leave time for thinking through purchases. When you’ve got 15 minutes to pick out a pair of shoes, who has time to bargain shop? Have to work late? Takeout sounds good. Late for the meeting but don’t have enough change to plug the meter for the full two hours? Risk it. And, then, pay the ticket later. When there’s no time in the morning to pack a lunch, you hit the deli at noon and pay $10 for what you could have brown-bagged. Fitness and Health Most of us know that getting in shape and staying that way is for more than just vanity. Exercise keeps us strong and healthy. But a commitment to fitness takes time. And, when you’re chronically short of time, the workout is one of the first chores dropped. Who can get up early when you’ve stayed up late catching up on laundry or finishing a project? Eating well takes time and commitment, too. It’s easy to fall into the trap of McBreakfasts, vending machine snacks and meals from the drive-through $1 menu. Energy Lights left burning as we dash out the door. Thermostat cranked up too high in a house that will be empty all day. Plastic water bottles at the meeting. Lunch in a Styrofoam take-out container. A tank of gas. Life, when it is lived at warp speed burns energy. All kinds of energy. And some of it, unlike people who can regroup after a good night’s sleep, is not as easily renewed. So, while I try to heal my knee (damaged, by the way, as I jumped out of the car in a hurry) I’m going to be working on cooling my jets. I’m going to try to slow down; to take it easier and do a lot less damage to myself — and, as an added benefit — the world around me.